The last 16 (games)

Now that we can now concentrate on the league, I was looking at the stats for this season. (Nolan certainly presented a brave face after the screening of The Hateful Eight and was looking forward - I particularly liked his attempt to spin the fact that Swansea scored 8 despite only having, erm, 14 shots on target and a further 9 off target.)

In the first three months of the season, we got 33 points from 16 games. In the next three months we got 21 from 14.

We now have 16 games left - repeat the form of the first 16 games and we end up with 87 points and, you’d think, automatic promotion. Repeat the form of the last three months and we will end up with 78 points - maybe a playoff place. Anything less than 24 points and we are in danger of missing out altogether.

Let’s hope we can get some more game time out of Shola (although by rearranging the Cambridge game for Feb. 20, we have given ourselves an uncessssarily busy February), keep Jones and Tootle fit, and that the new signings make a difference.

We’ve got to play the bottom three away from home and four of the teams around us in the top 8 at home. Interesting few months ahead.

I'm waiting for everyone to say that resting Shola was a masterstroke when he scores 2 and sets up 13 in a 21 goal demolition of Barnet at the weekend after he wasnt started tonight. Anyone who thinks Nolans number one priority is not promotion after an 8-1 thumping by Swansea when we put out a team that invited itself to be destroyed probablt deserves to spend all of their lunch breaks fishing for Bream at the back of the Trent End come rain or shine for the rest of their lives!!!

What really concerns me at the moment, is that with only one league win away from home since September, we've now got two of our next seven fixtures, and three of our next nine, away from home.

With the 3 sides immediately around us, Wycombe, Accy and Stags, also occupying the top 3 spots in the current form table (and Coventry, Exeter and Swindon not far behind) while we languish down in 15th, unless there's a dramatic upturn in that away form, I fear we'll be coming out of that spell looking to play catch up with the play-offs rather than still realistically seeking a Top 3 spot.

Come early May, we all may come to rue those two home defeats with the disastrous 4-5-1 experiment even more than we already are.

I refuse to be concerned until I have seen the reaction on Saturday. I think this could be the defining point in our season, not the one on Tuesday evening. Hopefully it's a convincing win from a 4-4-2 including Messrs. Bennett, Hewitt and Tootle.